Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-09-04
COLLEGE SOCIETIES.
Noted Organizations Among the
Glasses at Yale.


Glasses at Yale.
Yale's most celebrated senior socie-
ties are "Skull and Bones" "Scroll
and Key" and "Wolf's Head" To
be elected member of "Skull and
Bones" is considered one of the great
est honors that can fall to a Yale man.
To secure such an election a man
must achieve celebrity in one direc-
ton or another. Wealth or popularity
is of minor Importance. The society
is limited to fifteen members.
Among them are generally to be
found the captains of the univer-
sitv crew, the baseball and football
teams, and also prominent track
athletes. Among others generally
chosen are the valedictorian OF the
senior class, one or more members OF
the board of editors ef The Yale Liter
ara Magazine, and one or more officers
of the various athletic organizations.
The society has been in existence
fifty-five wears, and numbers among
it's past members some OF the most
noted men who have graduated from
Yale. Its meetings are held in a moss
covered sandstone building. situated
not far from the campus, and are con-
Quoted with the most profound secrecy.
No "Bones" man has ever been IN.
duced to disclose any of the doings of
the society, and genuine offense IS
taken if it be referred to in his pres
ence. =,
Next in importance comes the
"Scroll and Key" society. Its mem
bers are all men prominent in some
direction, but, as rule, they are less
celebrated than the Bones" men.
Popularity and wealth are important
considerations in the choice OF many
of the "Keys" men, and the honor OF
membership is almost as eagerly
sought as in "Bones."
The society yclept VOLTS Head
has sprung into existence within a few
years, and has grown into a good deal
of Importance and popularity. 1t has,
like its sister organizations, beautl-
full building, the interior OF when Is
said to be handsomely furnished.
THE JUNIOR SOCIETIES.
The Junior societies, "Delta Kappa
Epsilon" and "Psi Upsilon," are an
cient and honorable organizations
which have been celebrated in story
and in song. Prominence and popu-
larity are the important factors In the
choice of members. Up to the year
1877 both societies were accustomed to
give Thanksgiving plays in Alumni
hall. These performances were
very attractive to old graduates and
town people, but the college boys
fell into the habit of do
ing and saying such objec-
tionable things on these occasions that
the faculty finally prohibited further
public performances: and so 1t has
come to pass that the yearly exhibi-
tions are now witnessed only by the
members of the society under whose
auspices they are held. The exhibi-
tions take the form of minstrel shows
and burlesques on the plays OF Shake
speare or some more modern author
The minstrel shows frequently include
limitations of eccentricities of the va
rious professors, and are invariably
received with great gusto. Costumes
from New York are employed, anC
much time is spent in rehearsing fol
the presentations. Similar plays arr
given in May, on the occasion OF thu
Initiation OF the sophomore mem
bers.
In addition to the fraternities men
toned above, there are several sopiho
more and freshman societies, and
large number of Sheffield Scientific
school societies but they are less i'm
portant than those that have beel
named.-Arthur Edmands jerks, il
Lippincott's.